Final answer:
The statement is true; starting with 20 bacteria and a doubling time of 30 minutes, there would be 640 bacteria after 2.5 hours due to exponential growth.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine whether the statement "If you have 20 bacteria and they have a doubling time of 30 minutes, you will have a population of 640 cells in 2.5 hours" is true or false, we need to calculate the bacterial population after 2.5 hours based on exponential growth. Given a doubling time of 30 minutes, we expect the number of bacteria to double every half hour. Starting with 20 bacteria, after 2.5 hours (which is 150 minutes or 5 doubling periods), the number of bacteria would have doubled 5 times:
- After the first 30 minutes: 20 × 2 = 40 bacteria
- After 60 minutes: 40 × 2 = 80 bacteria
- After 90 minutes: 80 × 2 = 160 bacteria
- After 120 minutes: 160 × 2 = 320 bacteria
- After 150 minutes: 320 × 2 = 640 bacteria
This calculation shows that the statement is true. After 2.5 hours, there would indeed be 640 cells assuming a continuous exponential growth with no cell death. Understanding the concept of generation time or doubling time is crucial in predicting bacterial population size over time.